The party head to Starkfort after hearing that Egil, a canary boy forced to work in the Mythril Mines, was taken there. The party infiltrate Starkfort and rescue Egil.

Later, after obtaining a poison sample belonging to a member of the Black Blades, Qada, the party return to Starkfort and overhear Qada lamenting about healing wounded soldiers by Nobutsuna Kamiizumi. After learning about his deeds (healing both enemy and friend alike to simply experiment on them), the party engages and defeat Qada in battle. However, Qada survived by faking his death, and prepares to leave Starkfort with the intention to overthrow the Eternian Duchy, but is stopped and killed by Kamiizumi before he can do so.

In Chapter 8, the Black Blades gather at Starkfort so they can face the party in battle. However, an attack by the Shieldbearers led by Daniel Goodman, forces Kamiizumi to leave, prompting his second-in-command, Hayreddin Barbarossa, to lead the Black Blades in battle. Kamiizumi returns to Starkfort after one of the Black Blades is defeated in the following battle. After all of the Black Blades get defeated, they retreat to Eternian Central Command.